Monday Morning Quarterback: Washburn's firing was only a matter of time

December 03, 2012

Whew, what an overnight it's been for these Philadelphia Eagles.

As everyone knows by now, Jim Washburn is, in the excited words of Harry Kalas, OUTTA HERE!!! as defensive coordinator, replaced by 156-year-old Tommy Brasher, coaxed out of retirement to help the team stumble its way to the finish line of this season from Hell.

So the first Monday Morning Quarterback question is: What took so long? With the surprise release of full-time pariah and part-time defensive end Jason Babin a week earlier, why keep his biggest supporter around too? Washburn was upset by the move to cut Babin, who might have become too much of a favorite of Washburn's for the rest of the D-line's liking.

Second question: What now happens with offensive line coach Howard Mudd, who's been tied to Washburn at the hip since the dawn of man? Mudd, who's already announced his retirement effective at the end of this season, is Washburn's best friend. Wondering if he too now will finish out the season, either by his own choice or that of his confused boss. Unlike Washburn's Wide 9, Mudd's techniques have proved to be championship quality, but his unit has struggled more than Washburn's.

Third question (which I posed to Reid at the end of Sunday's post-game press conference): Is he planning another change at defensive coordinator? Reid's answer: "No."

Bonus fourth question (which I would have blurted in response at the time if I was Jim Rome or somebody else who tries to make news instead of report it): Why the Hell not?

This defense is a mess, and it hasn't just been because of the Wide 9 alignment Washburn brought with him as a condition of his employment before last season began.

In fact, the biggest weakness of this team is the secondary, which formerly was coached by Todd Bowles, until he was promoted to defensive coordinator by default (because he was the only coach on the staff even remotely qualified for such an assignment, even in a battlefield situation).